Rules of Survival
by rika08
Summary: There were rules to stay alive on this planet. If you  follow them, you have a chance fo surviving. If you don't, you have a higher chance of dying out of sheer stupidity. Post Predators rated for language. royce,isabelle centric.
1. Stay Together

Stay Together:

That was one of the rules. Unless they agreed otherwise, it was safer to stay together. There was safety in numbers, and they worked well together. Whether they were avoiding the predators or the other prey, they were safer together. But if you were caught in a predators trap, or if you strayed off, you were on your own. As Royce said, "If you fall behind, you're left behind."

Royce always took lead. Ever since they'd arrived on the preserve, Royce led the way. He was a natural at it. He led; Isabelle took guard and followed behind him. Neither of them seemed to want a change in the role, it saved their asses plenty of times. Royce knew the ways predators tracked them, the rules of hunting, and the rules of survival.

It kept them safe, kept them alive. At the moment, that was all they cared about.

* * *

Yeah I know, it's short. But the other chapters will be longer, promise. First predators fanfic. Let me know.


	2. Check Ammunition

Check Ammunition:

That was another rule. One that had nearly gotten Isabelle killed. They were in the middle of a firefight between predators. Royce was drawing its fire so Isabelle could take the kill shot. She slipped around the trees, pinpointing the predators' location. She moved with gentle stealth, behind the predator. She set herself up for shot and pulled the trigger.

_Click._

The predator turned around.

"Oh shit." Isabelle whispered.

The predator lunged for Isabelle. It swung the blades down for Isabelle. Isabelle held her rifle up for protection. The blades shattered her scope, but her rifle remained intact but only just. The predator starred down at Isabelle, its strength far superior to hers. Isabelle cringed as she tried to hold her rifle up. Her arms starting shaking, giving in to the strength of the predator. The gun on the predators shoulder adjusted. She watched the scope zero in on her head.

Isabelle's rifle broke in half, sending her onto her back just as the predator fired. The plasma blast scorched the ground above her head. The halves of her rifles fell from her grasp and vanished into the forest floor. Isabelle sat up, slowly crawling from the predator.

The targeting reengaged, zeroing on Isabelle once more. She had no time to reach for her secondary weapon. The one mistake she made was about to cost Isabelle her life. She closed her eyes, waiting for the kill.

Suddenly the predator cried out in pain. Isabelle felt something wet fall onto her face. She opened her eyes. The predator stood with its back arched. A staff protruded from its chest, coated in its blood. It fell to the ground, lying on its side, dead.

Isabelle looked where the predator once stood. Royce stood in front of her, breathing heavily. He looked down at her and reached out his hand. Isabelle took his hand and rose to her feet.

"You alright?" Royce asked.

Isabelle nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Next time, check your ammo." Royce said.

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Isabelle replied. She looked at one half of her destroyed weapon.

Royce bent down by the predator and pulled the spear from its body. He closed it up and passed it to Isabelle. "This'll have to do for the time being. I'm sure Noland had more weapons stashed somewhere."

Isabelle nodded. At least Royce had her back today.

* * *

Short, but not as short.


	3. Fight Together

Fight Together:

Strength in numbers means strength in the ammunitions fired. But it was only as strong as rule number one; stay together.

Royce lived by rule number one and had no problem in leaving Isabelle behind if she fell behind. During their season in surviving together, she seemed to realize that he was right. He believed that if he ever fell behind, Isabelle would leave him behind. He was wrong.

They had left the security of their base in the early hours of morning. With the new season beginning there would be a new supply of ammunition and possible survival gear. They searched bodies of those killed and cleaned for trophies, to prevent a predator spotting them. But that didn't mean the bodies were clear of traps either.

Royce had taken the job to check the bodies for any supplies while Isabelle kept guard. As he neared the corpse, his foot triggered one of the predator's traps. The trap snapped shut on his right ankle. The teeth of the trap pierced into her leg with ease. Royce went down in agony. In the time they spent together, Isabelle had never heard Royce cry out, ever. Isabelle turned to find Royce on the ground, trying to dig his foot from the trap.

If you fall behind, you're left behind.

Royce grabbed the sides of the trap and tried to pull them apart. There was no telling how far off the predator was, but after he'd cried out and the sensors telling the trap had been tripped, it would come running to claim its prize. And there was no way Royce would let that thing make a trophy out of him. His hands slipped from the edge, casing the trap to snap back shut over his leg. Royce clenched his jaw but he groaned in pain. He grabbed the edges, trying again to free his foot.

Isabelle dropped beside him and grabbed the edge of the trap and started pulling them apart.

"How far off do you think it is?" Isabelle asked.

"Not far enough. Get moving." Royce replied.

Isabelle grunted as she pushed the edges from his foot. In the distance, they could hear the cry of the oncoming predator. Royce and Isabelle both looked up, searching for the source.

"Oh shit." Royce muttered.

Isabelle looked back down at the trap and continued pushing it open.

Royce grabbed her arms and tried to push her from him. "There's no time, get going."

"Shut up." Isabelle snapped.

"Get your ass as far from here as you can, now!" Royce ordered.

Isabelle pushed open the trap, resetting and freeing Royce's food. "We stay together, remember. We stay together, we fight together."

"And die together?" Royce asked. He removed his foot from the trap.

Isabelle shrugged. "Would you rather die alone?" She pulled off her bandana and tried it around Royce ankle, stopping the bleeding.

They heard the familiar sound of blades emerging from the automatic sheath. Isabelle looked up from Royce's ankle slowly. Royce turned around, looking over his shoulder. The predator stood twenty feet from them. Its wrist blades extended to it maximum length on its right wrist. In its left hand it held a circular disk.

Isabelle slowly reached for her HK45 at her waist.

The predator launched the disk at them. It cut through the air at alarming speeding.

"What out!" Royce pushed Isabelle from him and rolled out of range.

The disk spun between them. Isabelle heard the high sound of the disk cutting the air. The disk spun around them, returning to the predator. Isabelle landed on her right side, drawing her pistol at the same time. As she hit she took aim and fired.

The predator swung the disk, deflecting the bullet. Isabelle's eyes widened in surprise. The predator seemed to laugh at her.

"Hey, asshole!" Royce called.

The predator turned.

Isabelle watched as Royce held up his hand, holding a metal pin. She watched the predator respond by looking at the ground only seconds before it exploded beneath him. She flinched in surprise, shielding her eyes from the explosion.

As the earth cleared the sky, Isabelle lowered her hand. The predator lay on the ground, broken and mutilated. She rose from the ground, cautiously inspecting the remains. It didn't move, but she could hear its ragged breathing. It was alive, only stunned.

Isabelle released the breath she'd been holding. She turned to Royce. "Nice throw."

Royce nodded, still sitting on the ground.

Isabelle walked to Royce, slipping her HK back into her holster. "Can you walk?"

Royce looked up at her. "What happen to, fall behind, left behind?"

"You choose live by that rule, Royce, but I didn't." Isabelle explained. She held her hand down.

Royce took her hand. "That choice nearly got you killed once before."

Isabelle grunted as she lifted him to his feet. "And yet, I'm still alive."

Royce winced as he tried to balance himself with his bad leg. "Don't get used to it."

"I know. If I was in your position, you'd leave me." Isabelle said. "But I chose my own rules."

Royce winced as they began walking. "And what are your rules?"

"Stay together. Fight together. Die together." Isabelle answered. "Now let's go before that thing wakes up."

* * *

See, longer huh?


	4. Die Together

Die Together: 

That was Isabella's rule and her rule alone. She knew Royce wouldn't follow any rules but his own, and she didn't ask him to. If she fell behind, she expected him to leave her. That was what her HK was for, because she sure as hell wasn't going to be made into trophies.

Still, dying was something neither was planning on. It was what they were avoiding all together. The rule was, if you fall behind, you're left behind. But even in retreating or in fire fights, neither one had a problem keeping up with each other. Until the odds turned against them.

Royce and Isabelle ran through the forest, along the cliff side. The hounds of the predators had been released, as was their plan to flush out their prey. They were running ahead of the hounds, heading for a better shooting range. But the hounds were close behind them. Royce ran ahead, with Isabelle close behind him.

The hound pounced on Isabelle. It hit her from below, throwing her up with great force. She felt the stab of the hound's horn into her leg as it tossed her up into the air. Isabelle hit the ground hard and rolled over the edge of the cliff. She gasped as she caught the edge. She could hear the hound moving on, moving for Royce. But she could also hear the sounds of the predator, coming for her.

Suddenly her legs began to go numb. The feeling slowly spread up her legs, to the rest of her body. Isabelle gasped. The horns of the hounds had been coated in the neurotoxins. The paralyzing toxin swept through her blood stream. Isabelle's vision began to blur. The forest around her became disoriented. The sounds of the rushing water beneath her reminded her that if she fell, she would drown in minutes. Her hands released the edge. She gasped as she started falling.

Isabelle plummeted fifty feet into the river below. She hit the water without a sound, piercing the surface. Isabelle slipped through the water. The cold water engulfed her into its grasp. The current pushed her slowly beneath the surface. Her lungs began to burn for oxygen she couldn't reach. The water around her was disoriented; her hearing was muted by the mutilated sounds of the falls.

Isabelle closed her eyes, closing herself off from the prison around her. The burning in her lungs increased, demanding oxygen she could not reach. The disorientation grew worse as she began losing consciousness. She hoped Royce had escaped the hounds, had made it somewhere relatively safe. He was right. His rules kept him safe. But it would only be a matter of time before they found him.

Isabelle felt herself slipping from her disorienting prison, slipping into death. A death she deserved, a death she'd tried to avoid for far too long.

It was cold, very cold. It was creeping through her body, through her limbs. It gripped her tightly, taking over her senses. It engulfed her, shaking her, waking her.

Isabelle snapped back to life, inhaling deeply. But her lungs were filled with fluid. She jerked, coughing up the water that filled her lungs. Isabelle inhaled, finally filling her lungs with fresh air. She coughed again as the cold air filled her. Her body started shivering immediately. She inhaled slower, deeper. Her body shook as she lay on the ground, regain her breath.

Something warm touched her face. Isabelle jerked from the touch, opening her eyes. It was dark and disoriented. She couldn't make out the figure that hovered above her. But the shivers that coursed through her body kept her from moving entirely.

"Hey, it's me."

Isabelle blinked. Slowly the dark figure came into focus. It was Royce. Isabelle relaxed again. She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath.

"How're you feeling?" Royce asked.

"L-l-li-like…s-s-sh-sh-shi-i-it-t-t-t." Isabelle stammered. She heard Royce laugh.

"I'll bet." He said. "Do you think you can move?"

Isabelle opened her eyes. "D-d-d-do-on't…kn-kn-kn-no-no-o-ow."

Royce took her arm and eased her into a sitting position. It was then that Isabelle realized she wasn't lying on the ground, but on floor of the old predator ship Noland had led them to their first season. Royce helped her leaned against the wall. Isabelle let her head lay against the wall while the rest of her body continued to shiver.

"Anything still paralyzed?" Royce asked.

"Fuck if I know." Isabella replied. She was still overcome with shivers, she didn't know if she could move beyond the involuntary spasms.

Royce give a muffled snicker. He moved to her leg, where she saw a red bandana. Her bandana, the one she'd tied Royce's ankle with last season. Royce turned Isabelle's leg, giving him a better view. He untied the bandana and quickly inspected her injury.

"W-w-wh-ha-hat-t-t-s-s-s…th-th-the-e-e v-v-ve-er-erdi-dic-t-t…d-d-d-do-o-c-c-c?" she stammered.

"The bleeding's stopped and their no sign of infection, yet." Royce said. He tied the bandana around her leg again. "I'd say the river managed to flush out most of the neurotoxin." He shifted his direction toward her. "But you're skin cold as ice."

"I-i-i-I c-c-co-ou-ould-d-d h-h-av-ve t-t-t-to-ol-old-d y-y-o-you th-th-tha-a-at-t-t." Isabelle stammered.

Royce stripped his jacket and laid it over Isabelle's chest.

"W-wh-wh-wha-a-a-t-t h-h-h-ha-hap-p-en-n-ed-d-d t-t-t-o-o-o y-y-yo-you-u're-re r-r-ru-ul-le-le?" Isabelle asked.

Royce looked up to her and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I-i-i-I…f-f-fe-el-l-l…b-b-be-e-eh-hin-n-nd-d-d." Isabelle answered.

Isabelle could see Royce understand just by looking at his eyes. His body language followed suit. He looked from her quickly, continuing to pile whatever cloth to keep her warm. "Stay together, fight together, remember?"

"D-d-die...t-t-t-o-o-oge-e-th-th-er-r-r?" Isabelle asked.

Royce shrugged. He moved beside Isabelle and pulled her against his chest, using his body heat to help warm her. "Maybe I didn't want to die alone?'

Isabelle reached a shaking arm out and lightly hit his chest. "Y-y-y-o-ou-ou-u-u-u…as-a-s-s-s-s-h-ho-ol-l-le-e-e." Isabelle stammered.

Royce smiled against her hair. "You're right about that, Belle."

* * *

_fin_

_what did you think?_


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